One Point, Zero Buzz – When a Draw Feels Like Flat Soda

There are draws that feel like hard-earned progress, and then there are draws like this one in Mönchengladbach. On paper: unbeaten again, creeping into the top five, derby point secured. In reality: a nagging feeling that Bayer 04 left something important in the locker room – namely intensity, edge, and a sense of urgency before halftime.

This match wasn’t really about the 1:1, and it certainly wasn’t about goals or chances. It was about where this team currently stands in its development under Kasper Hjulmand. You can clearly see the idea: control the ball, dominate possession, dictate rhythm. Bayer 04 did all of that. What we didn’t do was hurt Gladbach with it. Possession without menace is just expensive cardio, and for 45 minutes that’s exactly what it looked like.

Gladbach played the role they love most against us: aggressive, compact, waiting for mistakes. And we obliged. The early goal conceded wasn’t bad luck, it was a symptom. Too casual, too clean, too convinced that structure alone would carry us through a derby away from home. It won’t. Not there. Not anywhere in the Bundesliga.

The second half was better, no doubt. More tempo, more presence, more of that Bayer 04 bite we expect. You could feel that the team wanted more, that the adjustments helped. But wanting more and actually forcing more are two different things. In the final third, we remained polite. And polite football rarely wins uncomfortable away games.

From a fan’s perspective, this draw is tolerable but telling. The team is clearly in transition, still learning how to balance control with aggression. The talent is there, the ceiling is high, but top teams don’t need 45 minutes to wake up. They impose themselves from minute one.

So yes, one point is one point. The streak lives on. But if Bayer 04 truly wants to stay among the league’s elite, these games need to feel less like lessons and more like statements. Otherwise, we’ll keep leaving stadiums thinking: fine result – but it should have been more.